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by Alan Baldwin
MONZA, Italy (Reuters) – Teams and governing bodies will discuss Formula 1 safety after the final anti-climbing lap of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix restored memories of last year’s controversial Abu Dhabi title decider car rules.
World champion Max Verstappen won then and now, but ironically at Monza his Red Bulls were the ones who had a voice over how the game ended, while a previously angry Mercedes was Officials defended.
This time, unlike last December’s race in Abu Dhabi, the FIA ​​followed the rules, and fans still flocked to the boos and jeers from Ferrari’s home crowd.
Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton felt a flashback.
No longer a title contender this year, the Briton missed a record eighth title in Abu Dhabi when then-departing race director Michael Massey adjusted safety car rules to ensure the race was over.
“It always brings back memories. That’s the rule as it should be, right?” Hamilton said on Sunday that the safety car remained on the track for the final few laps as law enforcement tried to put Daniel Ricciardo’s stricken down Taken by McLaren.
“(It’s) only once in the history of the sport they didn’t play by the rules.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, furious at Abu Dhabi, says the FIA ​​is doing the right thing.
“There are rules, they’re written down, and from my perspective, whether I’ve been traumatized in Abu Dhabi or not, those rules are being followed today,” said the Austrian, with George Russell third and Hamilton fifth.
“If a guy is not happy with the rules and wants a big show and two laps of racing and chaos, I think I’m totally fine with that. But then we need to change the rules.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem will hold a pre-arranged meeting with race officials and team managers on Monday, which will be debated immediately.
“I’m sure this will be at the top of the agenda,” commented Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
Whether any decision will be made remains to be seen.
If the safety car is deployed after a certain stage of the race, the race can be stopped and restarted, but this is more risky for the front runners.
The 2008 scandal that saw Renault’s Fernando Alonso win in Singapore after teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. deliberately crashed to trigger the safety car to give the team an advantage could also add to the sport’s spark more risk of disputes.
McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl told reporters on Sunday that after Abu Dhabi, the team tried unsuccessfully to find a way to stop the safety car from finishing the race.
“While the FIA ​​and Formula 1 do push us all to find a solution, it’s up to the teams and … we can’t agree on any better solution,” he said.
“That’s why I think we just have to live with the situation, which unfortunately can happen.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Bradley Perrett)
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